Telephone system



Patented Aug. l6, I898.

A. F. SWAN.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

(Application filed. Sept. 29, 1897.)

(N0 Model.)

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UNITED-STATES PATENT ALFRED F. SWAN, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY,

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,173, dated August16, 1898.

Application filed September 29,1897. Serial No. 658,433. (No model.)

T0 wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED F. SWAN, of Bayonne, in the county of Hudsonand State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Telephone Systems, of which the following is a full,clear, and ex act description.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone systems and is in somerespects like the invention covered by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates N 0. 572,840, dated December 8, 1896, and the invention for whichI have filed an application for Letters Patent of the United States,Serial No. 615,103.

- The invention, like the others referred to, is particularly adaptedfor use on party-lines where several instruments are employed; and theparticular objectof my invention is to simplify the construction andarrangement of the parts of each telephone apparatus, to the end thatperfect connections maybe made and the instruments kept easily in repairand operated economically.

A further object of my invention is to reduce the operative parts of theapparatus and to arrange the parts so that the cutting in and outis'surer.

To these ends my invention consists of a telephone system theconstruction and arrangement of which will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters and figures of referenceindicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a perspectivediagrammatic view showing two instruments on aline, the left hand instrument in the figure being at zero and theright-hand in position to talk to the central office,the zero positionof the telephone hook orlever being shown in dotted lines; and Fig. 2 isa diagrammatic development of the switch barrels of three instrumentsand brings out the relative positions of the switchpins.

Much of this apparatus is like that shown in my former applications, andsome parts are similar to those of the telephones in ordi nary use. Forinstance, the switch-barrel 10 is, except for its pins, like that shownin my previous applications, each switch-barrel being moved by aratchet-wheel 11 and engaging pawl 12, the latter being moved up anddown by a magnet 13, which is included in the circuit. Each apparatusalso includes the usual talking set, comprising a receiver switch-armsare thrown out of or into contact 1 with the points referred to by meansof cam bends 23 on the switch-arms and pins 24 and 25 on theswitch-barrel, the former pins operating the arm 18 and the latter thearm 18. The hook or lever 17, as in my previous applications, serves tomake and break connections through the talking set and through thesignal-bell, as shown at 26 and 27, and is more specifically describedhereinafter, and the bell-circuit is also specifically controlled by apush-button 29, which is adapted to engageone of the contact-points at28, and included in the circuit to be specifically pointed outpresently.

" The connections are as follows: The line A includes the magnet 13 ofeach apparatus and connects directly with the contacts 21 and alsodirectly with the bell 16 and with oneof the contacts at 22. From theline-Wire A also leads a wire a through the receiver 14 to the hook orlever 17 This leveris adapted to close the circuit at 26 through a wire1), leading through the transmitter 15 to the line. From the wire aleads a wire a to one of the contacts at 27, and from the second ofthese contacts leads a wire a to the magnetobell 16-and to one of thecontacts at 28, The second of these contacts at 28 connects by a wire awith the line. The push-button 29 IOO by full lines at apparatus 2 inFig. 1 and by dotted lines in apparatus 1.

Referring to apparatus 2 in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the circuitentering from the line A passes through the said wire, the wire a, thewire a, the hook or lever 17, the contacts at 27, the wire (1 thepush-button 29, the wire c, the contacts at 22, and the switch-arm 18*,back to the line.

Referring again to Fig. 1, we will say that one of the subscriberswishes to ring up central. He presses the push-button 29, and thecircuit is then from the line A through the wire a, the wire a, thecontacts at 27, the

telephone hook or lever 17, the wire a the bell 16, the wire a thepush-button 29, the wire 0, the contacts at 22, and switch-arm 18, backto the line. It will be seen, however, that the second or otherinstruments will be unaffected, because the circuit will be, as firstindicated, through the first contact 28 and push-button 29, thusshort-circuiting the bell 16. After ringing up central the subscriberremoves, as usual, the receiver 14 from the hook or lever 17, whereuponthe latter rises, precisely as usual, to the contact 26, as shown byfull lines at apparatus 1 in Fig. 1. The circuit is then from the line Athrough the wire Ct, the receiver 14, the telephone hook or lever 17,the contact 26, the wire I), the transmitter 15, and the line.

Referring again to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the switch-pins 24and 25 have engaged the cam-bends 23 of both arms 18 and 18, so that theformer break the circuit at 21, while the latter close it at 22. Theswitch-barrels 10 are stepped around from the central office by makesand breaks in the circuit, precisely as in my other applications, andthe switch-pins are disposed in such a way that a certain number ofmakes and breaks will bring certain pins and switcharms into engagement,so as to cut in desired instruments and cut out others, all as will bespecifically pointed out later on.

Referring now to Fig. 2 and also to the other figure, the manner ofgetting the desired apparatus in circuit with another will beunderstood. To avoid confusion, I have purposely omitted the circuits inFig. 2 and have shown the developments of the switch-barrels on aparty-line containing three instruments, it being understood, of course,that there would be a greater number of pins and that the arrangementwould be somewhat different in case there were a greater or less numberof instruments on the partyline. We will suppose that subscriber lwishes to talk with subscriber 2. He advises central, who makes thenecessary number of makes and breaks in the circuit, which turns thethree switch-barrels an equal distance; but

. the pins on the switch-barrels are so disposed that the switch-arms l8and 18 of subscribers 1 and 2 are opened, thus placing the talking-setsin talking-circuit, while the switcharm 18 of subscriber 3 will beclosed against the contacts 21, thus cutting out subscriber 3 by shortcircuiting. If now subscriber 1 wishes to talk with subscriber 3, theswitchbarrels are all turned a similar distance from the central office,as before, and this brings the pins of the several instruments into sucha position that the switch-arms 18 and 18 of subscribers 1 and 3 areactuated so as to open the said switch-arms from the contacts 21 and 22,while the switch-arm 18 of subscriber 2 is out of contact with any pin24 and closed against the contacts 21, thus cutting out subscriber 2 byshort-circuiting, while subscribers 1 and 3 are placed intalking-circuit. In case subscriber 2 wishes to talk with subscriber 3it will be noticed by reference to the diagram in Fig. 2 that themovement of the switch-barrels which brings the switch-pins 24 intoposition to operate the switch-arms 18 of subscribers 2 and 3 andplacethem in talking-circuit will not actuate the switch-arm 18 ofsubscriber 1, and so the latter will be cut out, as before described.

It will be readily seen from the foregoing examples that theseswitch-pins may be disposed on the several barrels so that a certainsimultaneous movement of all the switchbarrels will bring some intotalking-circuit and out out others, this arrangement of the pinsdepending, of course, on the number of instruments on the line, and itwill be clearly seen that the arrangement of the pins oneachswitch-barrel is peculiar to itself, so that a certain movement will cutthe talking-set in or out at the desired point and also cut the bell inor out in a similar way. It will be observed, too, that but one pin 25is necessary to operate the switch-arm 18 and so close the circuitthrough the contacts 22, this action taking place only when theswitch-barrels are turned to zero position, and the several apparatusare thus brought into circuit with the central office. After the linehas been in use the central office turns the switch barrels back to Zeroposition, and this brings all the bells into line-that is, into positionto be operated by moving the push-button 29 and ringing them in theusual way, this position being clearly indicated on the diagram of Fig.2 and illustrated also in the connections of a Fig. 1. The aboveexamples will make it plain that with any reasonable number ofinstruments on a line the pins on the several switch-barrels 10 may beso disposed that by simply making and breaking the circuit from thecentral oifice any desired talking-set may be cut to line, while theothers will by the same means be cut out.

In the foregoing description I have shown the switch arms 18 and 18moving in a plane parallel with the axes of the switchbarrels 10; but itwill of course be under* stood that these arms may be tilted in anyconvenient way by contact with the pins 24 and 25 or equivalentprojections without affooting the principle of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combinationwith the telephone apparatus, the line,and the switch-barrel moved bymakes and breaks in the line, of the movable switch-arms directlycontrolling the circuit through the apparatus, and means for operativelyactuating the arms by the movement of the switch-barrel, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination with the telephone apparatus, the line and theswitch-barrel operated by makes and breaks in the line, of the movableswitch-arms actuated from the switchbarrel,and suitable connectionswhereby one position of the switch-barrel cuts the bell to line, asecond position cuts the talking set to line, and a third position cutsthe bell and talking set out of line by short-circuiting, substantiallyas described.

8. The combination with the telephone apparatus, the switch-barrelhaving projections thereon, and means for moving the switchbarrel bymakes and breaks in the line, of movable switch -arms actuated bycontact with the projections on the switch-barrel, and electricalconnections whereby one position of the switch-barrel cuts the bell toline, the second position cuts the talking set to line, and the thirdposition cuts the bell and talking set out of line by short-circuiting,substantially as described.

4:. The combination with the telephone apparatus, the line, and theswitch-barrel actuated by makes and breaks in the line, and

provided with projections, of a pair of contacts connected directly withthe line, a second pair of contacts, one connecting with. the line andthe other with a push-button controlling the bell-circuit of theapparatus, and switch-arms actuated by the projections on the switchbarrel, one of said arms being adapted to engage the first contacts andshort-circuit the talking set and bell, and the second of said armsbeingadapted to engage the second contacts and cut the bell to line,substantially as described.

5. The combination with the telephone apparatus, the line, and theswitch-barrel turned bymakes and breaks in the line, said switchbarrelhaving projections thereon, of a pair of switch-arms actuated by theprojections on the switch-barrel, and connections whereby the firstmovement of one arm is adapted to out the talking set to line, thesecond movement adapted to cut the talking set and bell out of line byshort-circuiting, and the movement of the-second arm is adapted to cutthe bell to line, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the talking set, the line, and the switch barrelmoved by makes and breaks in the line, of a movable switch-arm operatedfrom the switch-barrel and adapted to cut the talking set in and out,substantially as described.

ALFRED F. SWAN.

Witnesses:

W. B. I'IUTCHINSON, BERTHA DEYO.

